


Sakura City

by SilverServerError



Category: CLAMP - Works, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Alcohol, Language, M/M, NSFN
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 02:27:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15939896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverServerError/pseuds/SilverServerError
Summary: Eventually, survival became sport. Fear became excitement. And very, very few remembered the danger they’d buried below.But it lives. And it waits.





	Sakura City

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Quick note, there was a little mix up with my google docs and I wasn't getting some of the changes to save. I THINK I've caught all the instances, but please give me a heads up if you run by any glaring issues. Thanks and hope you enjoy! ^u^

 

In the beginning, there were monsters. Huge beasts of fire, wing and ash that ravaged the land as they wandered their mindless paths of destruction. The ground was barren. The skies were choked. Nothing grew or survived or sang.

 

The people hid in fear.

 

Until one day, into the darkness, a pair of twins came forward.

 

Twins with powerful innate abilities. Twins that understood the magic of the land, and how to control it. They vanquished the monsters, locking them deep underground. The skies cleared. The barren rock turned green with life. The people learned this magic, carefully inscribing it in their most sacred tomes, there for all that would learn it.

 

The people prospered, rich with promise.

 

And then, as suddenly as they had arrived, the twins disappeared, leaving the people to protect this seedling existence as it struggled to bloom.

 

But… it worked. The brave came forward.

 

Over and over, they put down the evil that would rise from beneath their feet. Eventually, survival became sport. Fear became excitement. And very, very few remembered the danger they’d buried below.

 

But it lives. And it waits.

 

(Rated T for Fantasy Violence)

 

* * *

 

 

“I’ve got your badge.”

 

Kurogane looked up from his phone just in time to catch the nametag and lanyard tossed his way. Tomoyo smiled as he gave her a doubtful look. “Don’t you think my face is ID enough?”

 

“With the attendees, maybe,” she shrugged, leading him to the elevator. “But I don’t think the security guards are exactly our target demographic. Besides…” They entered the elevator together, Tomoyo hitting the seventh floor button before looking him over dubiously.

 

“Besides what?” he asked gruffly, gaze leaving the messenger on his phone to glance over his gold tinged reflection in the doors. “Something wrong with my face?”

 

“No,” she smiled, primping a little. “Just sometimes people don’t recognize you without the snout.”

 

Kurogane finally looked up at her. As he growled, a sly smile slid across her face, entirely unconcerned. They both rocked a little as the momentum of the elevator came to a stop.

 

“Or the ears.”

 

“Shut up…” he groaned stepping out, not needing to look at the floor plan to find his room after so many years, eyes tracking along the numbers on the wall. The enthusiastic carpet design. Anything but-

 

“Kurogane?”

 

He slowed to a stop as Tomoyo’s voice called out to him from behind. Surprised. Disappointed. The tiniest bit hurt? He swallowed down the little pit of guilt in his stomach and turned back, expression as even as he could keep it.

 

“The view…” She said, hand gesturing to the atrium that ran through the center of the convention complex, as if there was anything else she could be referring to. She glanced to it, then back up at him, just enough concern in her eyes to make his skin crawl. “Don’t you want to see the costumes?”

 

His mouth opened, but nothing came out.

 

She took a step closer, hair shifting against her shoulders as she almost had to crane her neck to meet his eye. “You love this part.”

 

Kurogane felt it as the little knot of resistance unraveled, but with it, the protection from the pain he was trying to avoid. “ _You_ love this part,” he insisted, but nevertheless took the step towards the banister. She smiled at him in relief. He decided then and there that it was worth the sting he felt in his chest. She grinned, leaning both elbows on the banister as she started to survey the crowd below. Behind her, Kurogane stood like a sentry, half hidden behind a column and protective of her back, but peering down at the crowd just the same.

 

“This is going to be a good weekend.”

 

Kurogane smiled despite himself. She said it almost like it was a command. “Is it?”

 

“Mmmhmm.” He followed her gaze as it took in the convention banners and colorful advertisements. “You can feel it sometimes.”

 

He rolled his eyes, even if she couldn’t see it. “If you say so.” He sent one more message, then focused on the flow of people below.

 

And...

 

And it was true; He _did_ love this part. The noise of a mob of people, all excited and happy. Relaxed for a weekend of nerdy escapism. A bird’s eye view of months of anticipation about to be realized. Even for day zero, there were lots of people in cosplay. Characters from games he knew. Some he didn’t. And of course-

 

“Ooo! Look at that one! They almost have the whole crew.”

 

Kurogane’s gaze followed her pointed finger far below, to a group of friends chatting as the escalator brought them up a floor. They all wore ears and tails of various species, but the one on the highest step, laughing at someone’s joke, wore a spiky wig that blended into two wolf ears and a snout over their nose. They wore his trademark Hakama, a little too tight, a little too pristinely tied for someone who had ever worn one in real life before. And a decent tail.

 

Kurogane had never thought he’d be the type of person to have opinions about the comparative merits of fake wolf tails, but here he was. Life was funny like that.

 

“Why don’t you ever cosplay? People would love it.”

 

“Are you kidding me?” He asked, ignoring the silent buzzing of his wrist for once. “These people would put me to shame.”

 

“Not if you let me help you.”

 

They shared a glance that was more a battle of wills than anything. He looked away first.

 

“Next year,” she said decisively, attention wandering back to the crowd to point out a few more likely wolves.

 

“Sure,” he answered, grateful for her distraction as he wasn’t quite fast enough to keep the frown off his face. “Next year.” He glanced down at his wrist, switching off even the vibrate alert as the messages were coming more or less constantly now, the familiar little spam tantrum. “Listen, you know I’m excited to be here, but I should really-”

 

“Mr. Big Dog!?”

 

The vaguely familiar voice of a young man broke in. Kurogane and Tomoyo shared a quick glance as they both straightened up, shifting into their public personas. “I thought only guests were booked this high up?” he asked under his breath as they turned.

 

She turned with him, hanging back just a little. “Maybe they came for the view?”

 

He shrugged, then louder, to the new voice, “You found me,” he said, affecting gruff friendliness. The convention hadn’t even started. For the moment, he had plenty in the tank. “Are you a-” and he stumbled over his words with a smile, eye finally falling on the two young adults before him. They were both almost mirror images of pink cheeked excitement, and they wore obviously matching outfits: One in wolf ears and a tshirt with his insignia. The other with cat, and a fanon symbol that, though unofficial, was instantly recognizable. “A fan?” He finished.

 

He glanced over his shoulder, anticipating Tomoyo’s giggle. What he found was something a little more… Hmmm. But before he could really take that all in-  
  
“Yes, Sir,” (Kurogane glanced at the color coded stripe of the name tag to check) he said, taking an earnest step forward. “For a really long time, Mr. Dog, Sir.” The boy started to pat down his pockets and search the small con bag they all got from check in. “I know we’re supposed to get a ticket for these but… would you mind if I got an autograph?”

 

Kurogane winced. It was technically against the convention rules. But before he started making his polite excuses, the girl to his side spoke. “Please, Big Dog. He’s such a big fan!”

 

The boy blushed hard but grinned all the same. His final push over the fence was Tomoyo all but shoving a sharpie into his hand.

 

“Of course,” Kurogane smiled, accepting a proffered con program and starting to scrawl a message on it. “Just don’t tell anyone you didn’t stand in line for it, okay? Who do I make this out to?”

 

“Syaoran,” he said.

 

“How you you spell that?”

 

The girl elbowed him in the ribs and after a silent conversation consisting mostly of raised eyebrows from her and wide eyes from him, he amended “Actually, you can just use ‘Little Dog’ if you want.”

 

Kurogane stopped writing, taking a closer look at his name tag. Sure enough, there was his handle, printed on his official con ID. “No shit,” Kurogane smiled, finishing the message and handing it back. “How much did that cost you?”

 

“Nothing, Sir. I’ve been a fan of yours a really, really long time. I’ve had it since the beginning.”

 

Kurogane nodded, crossing his arms and sizing him up. “Well, I’m glad I got to meet another veteran.”

 

This had the unexpected effect of making him deflate a little bit. The girl at his side quickly solved that mystery as she reached out to hold his hand steadingly. “We’ve actually met before!” she piped up. “You probably don’t remember but-”

 

“Of course he remembers,” Tomoyo cut in, then gestured back towards him as if they were all old friends.

 

“I do?”

 

She shot him a look. “Remember back in May when the power went out at the main offices? The team was down half the players but you only had until the end of the full moon to beat that water boss? These are two of the league A players that hopped in to save you.”

 

“Right!” He looked them over again, a little shocked to put real faces to people he mainly remembered as a passable DPS. (High praise coming from him.) “It’s nice to meet you, too…” He trailed off, waiting for her to provide a name.

 

“Sakura,” the girl in the cat ears said, then rolled her eyes and shrugged with a smile. “But that gets super confusing, obviously. My handle, ‘LittleKitty’ is fine.”

 

Kurogane caught Tomoyo covering her mouth with a gesture to try and hide how big she was smiling.

 

“Of course it is.” They both blushed at his knowing laugh. He nodded at their hands. “Are you guys actually a couple? Or do you just ship it?”

 

“Neither!” he barked, the exact same moment she winced as said, “Both?” They looked at each other, flustered, and dropped hands.

 

“Sorry,” she went on, sheepish. “I hope that’s not uncomfortable for you.”

 

He laughed, waving it off and noticing out of the corner of his eye the stupidly high number of unread messages he was getting discretely displayed on his wrist. “It’s all fun and games, right?”

 

“Do you ever talk to him? Outside of battle I mean?” Sakura looked up at him with a very familiar glimmer of hope in her eye.

 

“Big Kitty you mean?” And wow, he never thought he’d get to the point he could say that name out loud without making a face.

 

“Yeah!”

 

He shook his head and watched the two before him melt slightly in disappointment. “I don’t think he’s even real to be honest. Just some NPC bot.”

 

“Oh,” she said, Syoaran finding her hand again. Tomoyo gave her a look of empathy. “Of course. That makes sense.”

 

* * *

 

**BigDog has joined the server.**

  
It was another half hour before he could make a polite escape, leave Tomoyo to her obvious crush, clear the living room and rebuild his set up.

 

“You’re late!”

 

The last minute of which he had spent glancing over his missed DMs, making sure none of them were anything out of the ordinary, needy whining.

 

“I like to keep you waiting,” he said calmly, settling the earpiece in a little more snuggly. “Keeps you feisty.”

 

As he settled the headset over his eyes, he was immersed in a familiar world. As always it began with darkness, then from all corners, tiny specks of light shifting and flowing together. Starting to pick up the tracking data of his body and follow the lines of his slight movement. The ambient notes grew to a little melody as his virtual form took shape… Claws, robes, ears and snout… Everything becoming whole and solid floating in the darkness of the void, then slowly, blurry color came into focus, the game loading him in around him.

 

“Finally!” The voice shifted, fading from everywhere all at once into a whisper as it disappeared into ‘real’ space.  

 

As he looked around taking stock of his surroundings, he didn’t recognize it. And unlike most of their little encounters it seemed procedurally generated. Like much of the map, he found himself in a old growth forest. Familiar leaves blocking out shafts of sunlight until, even at in-game mid-day, it was too dim to see any great distance. All that aside, it was still beautiful. A teal fog seemed to dance in the air. He could hear the forest breeze. A stag spooked by his presence moved carefully on the edges of visibility. All perfectly normal, except things were rendering too smoothly. An extra shader or two lent a little _too_ much depth.

 

 _He_ had to be close.

 

“This is nice,” Kurogane said, circling and bringing his hands up to a wary stance as he searched the shadows. “A little boring though.”

 

“I know,” a voice said right behind his ear, and even after all this time, he jumped, quickly stepping back and shifting his weight to his toes, not quite drawing his sword, but hand ready to do so. Before him, Big Kitty stood neutral, arms crossed and ears laid back. When they crossed paths in battle, he tended to more or less wear a uniform of a close cut blue suit, but here, just the two of them… In private he liked to try out different little tricks and accessories. For instance the almost disheveled robe and  impossible scarf wrapped around his upper arms, glowing softly with magic and floating up as if caught in a slow ocean current, moving and shifting in a way that so nicely framed his slight frame..

 

“You’re being punished,” BigKitty informed him, looking him over with unimpressed feline eyes. His tail, just peeking out from the hem embroidered with tiny moving birds, curled back and forth in annoyance around his ankles.  “We were supposed to go to the Emerald Peaks to watch a butterfly migration, but I’m afraid you missed it.”  
  
“So play it again.” Kurogane took a step towards him, looming.

 

“I don’t think so,” BigKitty said, cocking a shoulder and looking away with a small frown. “BadDog doesn’t deserve special favors.”

 

“It’s ‘BigDog’,” he said, reaching out and pulling him closer by the waist.

Big Kitty made a surprised little noise of protest, but stood his ground as he looked up into Kurogane’s face. “I know what I said.”

 

Kurogane shifted a hand to support the nape of BigKitty’s neck, guiding his head back a few more degrees and dropping his voice down to a low gravel. “How rude of you.”

 

An unmistakable little gasp carried into ear.

 

Kurogane smirked, predatory. “Kitten, you’re so cute when you pout.”

 

“Don’t call me that when I’m mad at you.” He bared his fangs in an unconvincing warning.

 

“Are you?” Kurogane asked, shifting a hand down to palm his backside, voice dropping to a whisper.  “Mad?”

 

A soft little moan carried. A warning flashed in the corner of his vision as the hands running down his chest left light claw damage behind. “Furious,” BigKitty breathed. Then his expression shifted. A tightness in those wide blue eyes.

 

“Kitten?” he asked softly, a knuckle coming up to pet at his chin. “Is something actually wrong? You look upset.”

 

He turned away, hiding his face against Kurogane’s shoulder for just a moment, ears laying back (panic at getting caught), and then flicking back forward. “I’m fine,” he insisted.

 

“You’re ears aren’t acting like you’re fine,” Kurogane nipped at one, gently playful. “They always give you away when you leave them on auto.”

 

BigKitty huffed, ears fluttering to get away as he stood straight once more an looked him in the eye. “Just be on time next time.”

 

Kurogane winced slightly. He couldn’t help it. The knot in his stomach pulled too tight. “Actually, I kind of wanted to talk about-”

 

One of BigKitty’s hands shifted, and in the next moment he was gone along with Ginryuu from its place at his side.  
  
“Damn it!” Kurogane cursed, moment gone as he was distracted, trying to catch BigKitty before he could slip away, but left growling in frustration as he darted up one of the tree trunks, stopping silhouetted by the lilac moon on a branch out of reach. He then took his time to test the weight of the sword in his hand. “Give that back!”

 

“Hmm…. You’re not asking very politely,” he lilted. Up in the tree, Big Kitty gave the sword an experimental toss and Kurogane darted forward. He’d rather lose a life breaking the sword’s fall then let it get damaged from being dropped from such a height. But the catch went smoothly, even if BigKitty gave him a knowing grin over it. “You _really_ care about this thing, don’t you? I get why. Feels good in the hand. But I always thought it was a little too OP.”

 

“Give it back!”

 

“So I hope you’re a little more motivated this session when I make you fight for it.”

 

“You wouldn’t!” Kurogane growled, kicking the tree and then immediately regretting it when it made BigKitty (and his grip on the sword) falter. “How am I supposed to fight without my sword, idiot?”  
  
BigKitty swung it around playfully as he shrugged. “You have other swords, silly.”

 

“Don’t call me that!”

 

BigKitty gave him a wide grin, fangs pressing into virtual lips. “Now who’s pouting?”

 

“This is cheating!”

 

Up in the trees, he laughed, starting to draw himself a glowing portal with the tip of Ginryuu. “Since when do the rules apply to me?” With that he stuck his hand through, dropping the sword into another dimension for safe keeping.

 

Kurogane felt the separation anxiety he always did when it wasn’t at his hip or in his hand, but swallowed it down. Fai was winding him up but… he wouldn’t do anything stupid to it, would he?

 

“Have fun with your friends, dear. Try not to curse in front of the children!”

 

“You-!”

* * *

 

“-Bastard!”

 

In an instant Kurogane was transported to his team’s base leaving him blinking in the sudden sunlight. They were already standing around the dias of their mountain top fortress. The winter forest stretched out in every direction below, distant mountain ranges on the horizon. He quickly stood up straight as his entire team looked at him expectantly.

 

“Thank you,” Souma told him, standing in the center and obviously briefing the session they were heading into, “for a prime example of what not to say while we’re live for this all ages event. Tomoyo, I’m going to need you fast on that mute trigger. We don’t want another Boston.”

 

“Got it!” Tomoyo’s voice chirped.

 

“Hey,” he nodded in greeting to the tiny floating star that represented her when she was filming. After years of trial and error, it turned out to be the most practical option. He needed to know where she was to make sure she was getting an angle, but something with any more dimension tended to get in the way of combat visuals. It took a lot to keep up with him, and she was the best. Around the circle, his six teammates each had their own little satellites, as well as a few responsible for wide and group shots. None of their fighting skills would mean anything to an audience if they didn’t have capable crew filming and editing for them, so they were just as much a part of the team as the warriors, present at every strategy meeting.

 

Tomoyo also had the dubious honor of acting as Kurogane’s _de facto_ censor when his frustration got the better of him at live events. “How did your thing go?”

 

“Better than yours apparently,” she answered, a smile in her voice.

 

“Who was it this time?” Ashura cut in from his left, voice low as if this was something they could keep private when everyone was on the same voice chat. “Who picked a fight with you?”

 

“No one!” he claimed, glancing around the circle. “It wasn’t anything.”

 

“You just enjoy shouting obscenities?”

 

Kurogane shot them a look. “Do you not?”

 

Ashura gave him a smirk of agreement before turning their attention back to Souma.

 

“Are you entirely done?” She asked.

 

Kurogane gestured for her to go on.

 

“As I was saying, the stage has a holograph set up. Most of you have played this style before, but it can still be disorienting not to wear the standard equiptment. Watch each other’s backs and I need you to communicate. No going off on your own. We’re stronger together and we need the excitement of a win.”

 

Somewhere along the line…

 

Well, he knew _where_. It was right after the last of them had quit their day jobs and the algorithms had changed, burying their channel and slashing the view counts in half.

 

Regardless, Souma, their team’s captain since the early days, now briefed about the business as much as she briefed about battle. It was different. It wasn’t really what he’d signed up for.

 

He glanced back over at Ashura, the team’s newest member. They were so young. He wondered if there had ever been a time they hadn’t been playing both sides of this coin. If they knew what they were missing.

 

Whatever, he thought to himself, not for the first time. Games changed. Life went on. You stayed until you didn’t. No need to get sentimental about it.

 

He moved his hand to rest on the hilt of Gynruu, and felt his hand pass through with a pang.  
  
Right.

 

Souma, sharp as ever, clocked the motion in an instant and stopped mid sentence. She stared at his hip. He looked away resolutely, refusing to speak first.

 

“Where is your sword?” She eventually asked, voice level.  

 

“It’s gone.”

 

There was a heavy pause.  
  
“Gone?” She asked again, voice starting to rise as she stared down at him from the dias. “We’re heading into a live battle tomorrow and you lost your main weapon?”

 

Kurogane growled, rolling his eyes and subtly taking his ears off autoinput so they wouldn’t give away the lie. “I didn’t lose it. It was just gone from my inventory.”

 

There were some murmurs around the circle. “Seems like a weird glitch.” “Maybe it’s a new mechanic?” “Bet he got hacked.”

 

“No I mean,” Kurogane growled, shoulders hunching and arms crossed. “They left a message. It’s part of my objective to get it back.”

 

“ _Who_ left a message?” Souma asked.

 

“Just…” God, he was bad at lying. “Just the game, okay?!”

 

Souma started at him hard. Kurogane stared right back. “‘The game’?” Her eyes narrowed, not accepting it, but moving on anyway. “At what point were you going to share that with the class? That changes our whole formation.”

 

Kurogane did his best to behave through the rest of the longer-than-planned strategy session. It wasn’t their fault BigKitty had waltzed in and thrown a wrench into their plans. (Right?) But he couldn’t help but be annoyed that business talk only broke when they needed to make it to a panel. The frustration was palpable as they met up for real. Kurogane barely tried to hide his annoyance for the fans.  

 

* * *

 

 

Hours later Kurogane finally had a break. Anger had simmered, then cooled off enough that he and Souma could sit in companionable silence at the private VIP bar. The only ones allowed in were the Sakura City Elite, those that had fought their way to the top position in each of their respective categories. They either weren’t impressed by Kurogane enough to bother him, or were being fielded by his teammates strategically sitting at places of possible approach, letting bright eyed newbies know that now was _not_ the time.

 

“Oh shit,” he cursed under his breath as he watched one person in particular approach.

 

“What?” Souma asked, following his gaze, and then. “Oh.” She started gathering up her things, setting some bills on the counter. “Yeah, good luck with this one.”  

 

Kurogane pinched the bridge of his nose, flagging down the bartender for another round. “You can’t just leave.”

 

She rubbed his shoulder. “Kurogane, I love you. In game, I can protect you from this sort of thing. But I’m not about to piss off the guy with a monopoly choke hold on bulk Mana sales.”

 

Kurogane groaned and she gave him a hug goodnight.

 

He took a shot as he listened from behind them exchange a polite, “Souma.” “Kakei.” over his shoulder. Then, once again, he wasn’t alone as a familiar person perched on the stool next to him.

 

“BigDog. How nice to find you here. I do so value our nights like these.”

 

“Kakei! It’s been… time. Are you… good?”

 

Kakei smiled, grinning a touch predatorily. “Making ends meet, but I’d feel even better if I knew why you’re angry with me. Even after all the favors I do you team on your behalf.”

 

The bar tender floated by to take Kakei’s order.

 

“Milk please. Whole if you have it.” The woman gave him a confused look, but he just smiled. “Just milk.” She looked unsure but filled the order, setting down a tall glass which Kakei took a sip of with apparent relish.

 

“Why would you think I’m angry with you?”

 

“Well, you stopped opening my messages. You can’t expect that not to hurt someone’s feelings.” Kakei was almost purring, clearly not affected.

 

“Spam,” Kurogane corrected, taking a sip of his beer and trying to remind himself that he had every right to ghost him. “I stopped opening your spam.”

 

“Says the man who sends out three separate tweets to hype each and every video.”

 

He shifted awkwardly. “I don’t control any marketing decisions.”

 

Kakei glanced him up and down. “Clearly.”

 

“Did you come here just to drag me or-”

 

“No, actually. I’ve heard a nasty rumor and I need to make sure you’re not about to do something incredibly stupid.”

 

Kurogane growled- actually growled quietly under his breath. Of all the people he didn’t want to talk to this about… Kakei wasn’t even a friend. “You know, what I’ve always liked most about you, is your ability to stay out of other people’s business.”

 

Kakei smiled, not dignifying such clumsy attempts. “Well, some of us don’t have the luxury. Your reputation is unfortunately my business. If you leave-”

 

Kurogane's spine straightened and he shot out a hand to Kakei’s shoulder. Kakei stopped in surprise.

 

“Where did you hear that?” Kurogane said lowly. “What a stupid thing to discuss where we might be overheard.”

 

Kakei watched him with a cool calmness as he checked to see if anyone had been within earshot. When Kurogane’s attention returned, he looked pointedly at the hand creasing the shoulder of his shirt until it was removed. Kurogane at least looked a little sheepish as he pulled it away.

 

“I don’t think it will matter what I say,” Kakei said, finally dropping the overly friendly facade. That if anything made Kurogane relax a little. Kakei wasn’t a friend, but after so many years, they had earned each other’s respect for holding on to their top spots for so long. (Even if playing shopkeeper was a waste of the game’s physics engines, but that was a whole different issue.) “The whispers are already circulating.”

 

“What whispers?”

 

Kakei frowned at him. “The ones you’re afraid of.” He checked his wrist. “And you looking miserable all weekend certainly won’t help.” He waved for the bartender once more. “A bottle of sake please. Whatever is your most expensive.”

 

Kurogane frowned at him in confusion, then was relieved in more ways than one as he found Watanuki approaching to sit to his other side. Predictably, a few flashes went off from the corners of the room. Kakei and Watanuki might be professionally attached at the hip, but it was rare that they’d get Kurogane, the third power player of the game, all together in one place like this. Even in-game let alone in real life.

 

“Kurogane,” Watanuki smiled extending a hand. “It’s nice to see you again.”

 

“You too,” Kurogane said taking it, then huffed a laugh under his breath as Watanuki pulled out a vape pen. It was good to see him not smoking but… “Are you even allowed to do that in here?”

 

Watanuki glanced around, finding the bartender busy across the island. He smiled. “I guess we’re about to find out.” Then he inhaled and blew a stream of fog cheerfully into the air.

 

“Yuuko would be so disappointed.”

 

He shrugged, crossing his legs and smiling. “If she gets mad enough, maybe she’ll come back and take over the guild again.”

 

“Those were the days,” Kakei said wistfully, raising his glass of milk. That at least they could agree on and clinked their glasses together before taking a drink.

 

“You know, Kurogane,” Watanuki went on, “speaking of the guild, I was wondering if we could talk about-”

 

“I already brought it up,” Kakei cut him off to say. “You can get straight to the point.”

 

Watanuki winced a little, then gave Kurogane an apologetic look. “It really does matter, you know. The slightest thing can set off panics in economies this small. And more to the point, we need someone like you to-”

 

“Hey!” A slurred yell from across the bar broke the low murmur. “Hey are you BigDog?”

 

Watanuki winced as they all looked over his shoulder at a sloppy drunk blonde that was slowly making their way over. Kurogane just stared in shock. Then gave a slight wave and nod, wondering if that was enough to satisfy them.

 

“Who _is_ that?” Kakei said over his shoulder, brow furrowed. “Why don’t I know them? I know everyone.”

 

Watanuki’s eyes narrowed in contemplation as they all watched the blonde push insistently past a Ryuu who apologetically let them slide, not wanting to go so far as to actually restrain someone to keep them from getting though. “Oh!” Watanuki’s eyes suddenly went wide. “Is that the Cat’s Eye guy?”

 

Behind him, Kakei gasped and let out a shocked little ‘No!’ of disbelief.

 

“What’s that?” Kurogane glanced between them. “What’s The Cat’s Eye?”

 

“‘S my cafe!” The stranger answered finally having stumbled within ear shot, more or less using their grip on the counter to stay standing. “‘S my little cafe and it’s the best cafe. These two were so nice helping me get set up.” They reached out a hand. Neither Kakei nor Watanuki took it. The newcomer seemed not to notice or get upset by the rejection.

 

“We supply him.” Kakei explained, more or less hiding behind Kurogane like a shield. “He came out on top when the game added restaurant category.”

 

“How is food competitive?” Kurogane said with distaste.

 

Watanuki pushed them back as the stranger staggered a little too close in their friendliness. “Think Dinner Dash,” he clarified over a shoulder. “It’s basically a mobile game.”

 

To this Kurogane could say nothing but scowled in horror.

 

“And these two,” the blonde said, ending up mostly on the counter and looking misty eyed at them, “helped me so much. Gave me all these exclusive contracts for supplies and labor.”

 

“Made you agree to a non compete clause you mean?”

 

The blonde just looked at him confused, but Kurogane glared at the other two who were suddenly not interested in meeting his eye.

 

“You guys are the worst, Kurogane said.

 

“It’s just business.” Watanuki smiled through an exhale.

 

The new stranger caught most of it and started coughing, their grip on the counter sliping as they started a clumsy stagger away from the cloud. Kurogane was up and out of his seat instantly to catch them, a hand winding around their waist. “You’re not going to throw up are you?”

 

The blonde looked up at him with a hazy smile and pretty blue eyes. “No, just a little dizzy is all.”

 

Kurogane felt their center of balance shifting in his grasp. “We should get you home, friend. You staying at the hotel?”

 

“What are you doing?” Kakei asked as Kurogane dug in his pocket and pulled out some bills. “We’re in the middle of a conversation. You can’t just leave.”

 

Kurogane gave him a sarcastic grin. “You know me. Gotta be the hero. Gotta make sure the damsel in distress makes it home okay.”

 

Watanuki looked at the swaying and blissful blonde with subtle distaste. “This is serious. Someone else can walk him home.”

 

“Aww, BigDog,” they whined, pulling away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to- I’m in the way. I-” They all watched as they backed into a chair and tripped, caught with plenty of time by Kurogane, who picked them up bridal style. They laughed, disoriented, then smiled at him. “Oh! Oh, hello again.”   

 

“I’m serious, too,” Kurogane said to the two at the bar. “I’m done talking about this.” He turned to go, ignoring their protests. “Hey, you know your room number?”

 

They got looks as he carried them out of the bar and into the almost deserted hallways, but his new charge was apparently drunk enough to be oblivious. Besides, normal guests weren’t allowed in this section of the hotel anyway.  
  
“I…” They trailed off, starting to pat down all their pockets, then pulling out a key card and showing the scrawled number to Kurogane. It wasn’t too far away. His arms wouldn’t even have time to get tired.

 

“Hey, what’s your name?”

 

“Call me Fai,” they smiled contentedly.

 

Kurogane glanced at their con ID. “He/him?”

 

“Yep!”

 

“Well, Fai. It’s your lucky night.”

 

Fai giggled, drunk enough to think everything funny. “How’s that, BigDog?”

 

“Because normally I’d be pissed as Hell at you right now, but on this one very rare occasion, you actually got me out of a jam.”

 

“Pissed?”

 

“Next time you want to talk to someone,” Kurogane said finding the right door and gingerly setting Fai down, “I don’t care if you’re nervous. Don’t get belligerently drunk to do it.”

 

Fai tried a few times, missing the lock until a hotel employee walked by, side-eyeing the two of them, and Kurogane felt compelled to take the keycard out of his hand and open the door.

 

“Don’t worry,” Fai said, his stumbling gate straightening out as the door closed behind them. “I’m not actually drunk.” He turned back to Kurogane. “I just needed to get you alone.”

 

Kurogane blinked at him. There was a moment of silence. And then he immediately opened the door and left.

 

“Wait!” Fai called out behind him. “Not like that! It’s- It’s _me_.”

 

And that was weird enough to… Kurogane turned around to find Fai holding the door, earnest look on his face.

 

“You’re who?”

 

“You know…” Fai checked to make sure no one was around to see, then slowly brought one hand up to the top of his blonde head, bent like a little cat ear. “...like, nyaa?”

 

All at once the pieces clicked into place, and Kurogane realized he was looking at BigKitty. It was different without the ears and the tail and the eyes… Different to see him in black instead of blue but… “Holy shit.”

 

He watched Fai nervously swallow, then gesture hopefully back towards his open door. “So I was thinking… Maybe we could talk? In private?” His hand fidgeted on the door handle. “In person? Before you…” He winced. “Just once?”

 

Kurogane approached once more, heart picking up speed as he got closer.

 

A smile of relief broke over Fai’s face but Kurogane caught his hand, before he could go in. Fai looked back in confusion.  
  
“What’s wrong?”

 

Kurogane swallowed. It was so different with Fai actually here. Touching him. Feeling warmth under his fingertips. “Prove it,” he said, eyes a little wide and jaw set. “Before I go in that room with you, prove it’s really you.”

 

Fai smiled nervously, looking up at Kurogane, then he leaned in for a kiss. Taken aback, Kurogane didn’t lean away until the last moment, cheeks blushing furiously. “Not like that!,” he said quickly. “That’s not what I mean.”

 

“Oh my god,” Fai swallowed looking much the same, hand coming up over his mouth. “I’m so sorry! I thought- I really misread that.”

 

“No problem,” Kurogane powered through, ignoring through sheer force of will how awkward things now were. “I mean some other…”

 

Fai pulled his hand away to access his wrist band. Kurogane was a little surprised to realize he had been holding on still, only missing it now that it was gone. Fai worked for a moment, then looked back up, a polite distance between them now. “You should get the messages any minute now.”

 

Kurogane looked at him in confusion, but sure enough his wrist buzzed. Then again. Then  continuously. All messages with subject lines of increasing levels of urgency. He opened one at random, messages from Kakei about needing back up against an inevitable riot. One from Souma asking the whole team for back up. One from Tomoyo asking if he’d seen the shooting star.

 

“What did you do?”

 

Fai waved him in, and finally he followed. “I dropped a meteor of rainbow quartz down in the swamplands.”

 

Kurogane looked in confusion at the messages of chaos still pouring in. “Somewhere populated?”

 

“No. No direct casualties.” Fai uncorked a bottle of rose wine and at Kurogane’s nod, poured them each a glass. “But it will disrupt one of the main currencies used in the capital. Your friends are smart to make preparations.”

 

Kurogane looked at him strangely, accepting the glass. This was a side of BigKitty- Fai- that he didn’t usually see. “Aren’t you… worried?”

 

Fai waved him off, walking to the living room and settling into a couch set up to enjoy the skyline view. “You’re not the only one who needs excitement in your life, BigDog. Shopkeepers need something to flex their muscles for too.”

 

“Kurogane,” he corrected, distracted by his wrist, turning off the alarm vibration but opening a message every so often as they flooded his inbox.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

He glanced up to see Fai hesitant.

 

“Fans call me BigDog,” he clarified. “You can… you can call me Kurogane if you want.”

 

Fai smiled, warmth lighting his face. “Alright, Kurgy.”

 

“No, not-”

 

But a chime sounded from Fai’s wrist. He checked it and frowned, then drained the glass in almost one go. “This is terrible timing, but would you mind sitting through an encounter?” Fai got up, wandering into another room.

 

“What about the…” Kurogane followed, at once thoroughly distracted by the equipment set up in the empty bedroom. “Oh shit…” he gasped, taking everything in. There were a lot of interfaces to Sakura City, depending on which player path you followed, and here Fai had all of them and then some.

 

“Yeah,” Fai laughed a little, equiping a few pieces of hardware and trackers, then throwing Kurogane a headset with a one eyed display. “This is how the magic happens.” He laughed as if it might somehow be a let down. “You’re on spectator mode but… Well, here goes.”

 

Kurogane backed up, giving Fai plenty of room to work with as they loaded in. It was tricky at first. The headset gave him both views, Fai standing in a hotel room and BigKitty with a slowly loading in environment, at the same time. The sensation took a little getting used to, but soon he was busy taking in the cave of giant crystals as it formed a cavernous space around them.

 

“This is the sanctum.” Fai explained, a hand command bringing up a holographic view of the whole map. He reached out, zooming in until a fighter party approaching a castle came into view like toys on a table top. Another command brought up a grid of monsters, some of which Fai plucked off their little shelf to drop into the game. “It’s basically… I mean it’s sort of like free form tower denese on my side.”

 

“Do you… Do you fight every battle like this?” The thought was crazy, but here he was watching Fai play a low level battle against users Kurogane had never heard of.

 

Fai laughed, “No of course not, but there are certain users I like to keep tabs on. Ones that are interesting.”

 

Kurogane shivered, a sudden fear hitting him. “And do you… I mean like you do with me?”

 

Fai glanced over to him, one eyed behind the machine, and at the same time in-game, complete and feline. His cat ears pressed back in concern. “No of course not. Did you think I-” He just shook his head earnestly. “No.”

 

“Okay,” he said trying to breathe even and slow his heart back down.

 

“Kurgy,” Fai said a little more gently, even as he dialed up the aggression on a frog monster before placing it, all out of the corner of his eye. “I’ve never… How long have we been doing this? You’re special to me, you know?”

 

Kurogane didn’t try to correct him this time. Instead he wandered closer, standing opposite the hologram as Fai worked it. “So what's the strategy here?”

 

“Oh, I’m mostly freestyling when I dip down to levels this low.”

 

“You’re going to let them in if you don’t build up better melee fighters behind the gate.”

 

Fai laughed, light and airy. “I’m not trying to win.” He glanced up catching his eye. “I’m never trying to _win_. Just entertain you for a while.” Fai wandered to a station, pulling a hilt controller off a desk and flipping it in his hand a few times. He gave it a spin and it turned into a bow staff in the game. The hologram shifted, growing in size until Fai could take over the control of a zombie mage, this castle’s boss. “If I ever fought you for real,” he went on, starting to spar with the users and letting a few hits land, “I’d crush you.”

 

“Tch. Bullshit.”

 

“Stole your sword didn’t I?”

 

“That was cheating. Doesn’t count.”  

 

Fai scoffed a laugh, grinning as he lost concentration and reflexively took out a few fighters in one sweep, their bodies turning to a glowing dust that started flowing back to the last checkpoint to respawn. “Opps,” he winced, then tried to let the next few blows land without being too suspicious easy.

 

“Doesn’t that get tiring?”

 

“Fighting for real like this? Not really. I mean, don’t you play in this style too? It’s not like the controls are heavy.”

 

“No I mean...” a final blow cut down the mage, and Fai’s feline form pulled back again, the scene playing out below without him. “Losing.”  

 

“Losing?” Fai asked again, like the thought had never occurred to him before. “I don’t really… I mean I don’t win or lose I just…” Fai gestured vaguely. Big Kitty mirrored it. “I just play.”

 

The battle between them well and truly over, Kurogane wandered closer, watching the UI over Fai’s shoulder as he tweaked a few stats. “And that's enough for you?”

 

Fai looked back at him, surprised and a little pleased to find Kurogane so close. “Not everyone has to feel like they’re conquering something to enjoy it, Kurgs.”

 

Kurogane hesitated, unsure if he had imagined the touch of purr to that tone. But… but fortune favored the brave, and he hadn’t gotten to where he was by standing back and wondering what might have been. He placed a hand on the small of Fai’s back, and now… in this context… it felt like the heat had been suddenly turned up a few degrees. Before him, Fai smiled a little wider. “Is this okay?” Kurogane asked, voice low.

 

“Yes,” Fai answered with that same careful excitement, “Is _this_ okay?” He echoed, settling his arms around Kurogane’s shoulders with intention.

 

“Yeah.”

 

Kurogane’s eyes closed as Fai and his phantom stretched up to kiss him.

 

Only for plastic to clank dully together, pressing against his eye socket and catching in his ear.

 

When he pulled away he found Fai equally as confused, pulling off the headset that had knocked against Kurogane’s. “I guess this is… Um I guess this is trickier in person.” He winced, setting it aside.

 

“No it’s not,” Kurogane said decisively, taking his own off and pulling at Fai’s waist, guiding his jaw in a broad palm as he brought their lips together.

 

Fai made a little noise of surprise, then quickly started kissing back, hands wrapping around his shoulders and burying themselves in his spiky hair.

 

“This is-” Kurogane breathed, then gave up in favor of dropping kisses down the side of Fai’s neck.

 

“Yeah…” Fai agreed, head tipping to give him room and nails digging gently into his scalp. “Really, really different”

 

“All that’s missing,” Kurogane teased, kissing back up his neck until he was smiling against Fai’s lips as he murmured, “is the ears.”

 

Fai moaned softly, pulling away, cheeks flush and eyes dark. “I mean… I can get some cat ears if that’s what it takes.”

 

Kurogane placed his hands on Fai’s hips, backing him up until he hit the desk with a gentle pin. “Where you gonna find cat ears at this time of night, Kitten? Dealer’s hall is closed.”

 

Fai moaned sweetly at the epithet, trying to turn away and hide a new blush as his toes curled in his socks against the carpet. “Brought my own,” he admitted, more of a squeak than anything.

 

“Did you now?” Kurogane teased, playing it up, liking how Fai squirmed when he felt embarrassed. “Do you always tempt fate like that?”

 

“No!” then less emphatically, “No…I’ve never...  This is… this is my first con actually.”

 

That stopped Kurogane who pulled back, studying Fai. “No way is that true.”

 

“I mean,” Fai clarified, rolling his eyes. “The first time in this context. Or where my game was featured. Seemed too risky to do it before.”

 

“And now?”

 

Fai looked at him, not answering, as if the answer should be obvious.

 

As far as Kurogane was concerned, it wasn’t. “What? What changed?”

 

Fai looked at him, and first uncertain, then with something like pity. He wrapped his hands around Kurogane’s shoulders again, holding him close and speaking gently. “I heard a rumor…” was all he said, letting Kurogane draw the conclusions himself.

 

“Oh,” he said, going a little stiff in Fai’s arms, then very slightly moving to pull away. A movement that Fai did not allow. Kurogane didn’t resist a second time. “I… Listen-”

 

“I’m not here to change your mind.” Fai cut in, before he could say the painful words out loud. “I just… I just wanted to see you once. For real. Before it was over.”

 

The moment settled between them. A few anxieties shifting in Kurogane’s gut. It was… It hurt as much as it ever did, but knowing this was how Fai felt about it… It was a mercy he’d never dared to hope for. “Fai…”

 

He pulled back once again, looking down at Fai who stared back just as earnestly. He placed a careful hand to either side of Fai’s face, thumb wiping away a single tear that managed to fall.

 

Fai steeled himself, even as he stared into Kurogane’s eyes.

 

There was not a second.

 

“I’m sorry,” Kurogane said eventually, quiet. “Our time together was-”

 

Fai leaned up, silencing the words on his tongue, replacing them with a tease from his own. Kurogane gave in. What good would the words do  them now anyway that wouldn’t be better expressed like this?

 

“Don’t be sorry,” Fai said, shaking his head minutely and expression set in resolute cheer, the facade of which was paper thin. “I’m not sorry. I don’t regret a minute.”

 

Kurogane stared hard, trying to read Fai. It was the same, but different here. If Fai fled there would be no magic portal to take him away from an uncomfortable situation. They were equals now, and with that came a responsibility. He wanted to tread lightly.

 

In the end he nodded. What else could he say?

 

Fai touched his cheek, grateful and relieved, even as the gravity of the situation was impossible to ignore. “BigDog… Kurogane… Can I show you something?”

 

* * *

 

 

Fai had a key that let them into the deserted theatre, but with the way they took back stairwells and hid their faces to avoid any potential sightings by fans, Kurogane still couldn’t help but feel like they were sneaking in. The door locked behind them as they walked the long walk to the stage, their every noise bouncing in the harsh accoustices of the empty hall.

 

“I’m not registered to the system,” Fai explained, walking to the cosole up stage. “You’ll have to sign in and I can work from there.”

 

“Right,” Kurogane drawled, coming closer. “Because I want my name on it when they wonder who broke in.”

 

Fai smiled. “We’re not… Kurogane, this is all… It’s mine. It’s ours.” He stepped aside, making room. “This is _for_ us.”

 

“Then why don’t I have a key and why don’t you have access?”

 

Fai groaned. “Because I don’t have an account. I’m not a player. Now, can we _please_?” Kurogane didn’t look convinced. Fai took a deep breath and looked at him seriously. “These things are fucking expensive to set up. You might not get another chance.”

 

And that… alright. Kurogane gave him a look, but typed in his account information. “Couldn’t you have just looked this up?”

 

Fai smiled, cheered up now that he had his way. “I like to respect your privacy.” Fai hit a few keys, and as they had in years previous, the projectors hummed to life, motes of glowing gold starting to flicker and flow towards Kurogane in a gentle spiral.

 

He held his arms out, watching as his skin started to glow. It was differentdoing this in the deserted theatre. Without crowds and expectations or the adrenaline of an approaching match. It was… beautiful. Then, in the mix started a second set of lights, light blue this time, a color Kurogane had never seen before. He watched as they wrapped themselves around Fai, his black clothing disappearing under the hologram. The familiar robe, one of Fai’s favorites, drapped over his shoulders and tied loosley around his waist. Fai watched the light settle with a smile on his face, ears taking shape last, flicking in idle contentment.

 

“So,” he said as last, ears tucking back and tail curling around his ankle. He looked almost… shy. “We probably have an hour or so.” He came closer. “Where should we go first?”

 

Kurogane found himsself searching for an answer, eye wandering around his default spawn point. It was a room in their base. It held his things, or doubles of the ones that he held invisible in his inventory. It just felt better- more grounded- to have a version of them that felt a little more real. There was a bed, silly really when he could get by on energy repenishing potions. A mirror. A few stands that held old versions of his armor. Some of them even a little blury, from a lower res version that had never been updated.

 

“You kept these?” Fai wantered closer, his avatar running a hand over an old robe.

 

“Yeah, I liked them. You got a problem with that?”

 

“Not at all,” Fai grinned, like he was holding back a giggle. “So retro, Kurgs.”

 

“You know where I want to go?” Kurogane asked him with narrowed eyes. “How about your rooms, if you think mine are so funny.” 

 

“I’m not making fun!” he insisted, but extended a hand all the same. “You’re just being sensitive.” A staff appeared in his hand, which he spun around, tracing a circle around himself on the floor, then scrawling complicated runes until the lines they left behind began to glow, blue light streaming up, casting strange shadows over his face. As they bled completely together, he held out a hand, beaconing Kurogane to his side. With a little trepidation, he approached, one arm around Fai’s waist and the other on the hilt of his sword.  

 

The light rose around them, until it was all he could see, then it floated away, leaving behind a new view of Fai’s inner sanctum from before. “Is this…?”

 

But Fai just took his hand, leading them away. “That was were I work. I want to show you where I relax.” They walked a short ways, apparently straight towards a solid crystal wall. 

 

“Fai, are you sure this is-”

 

“Just trust me, Kuro-pu.”

 

“You can’t just-” And Kurogane found himself distracted by arguing as they stepped through a false wall, texture disappearing from the other side when he looked back. “Oh.” 

 

The landscape shifted instantly, no longer the soft purple stones that caught firelight and refracted rainbows, but scorched stone and what looked like the cooled magma of a lava tube. At the mouth of the little channel, a cavern opened up where streams of magma traced along the stone and rough obsidian dunes rolled. At the center of it all, there was a pond too opalescent to be water, that threw shifting light over the entire cave, making it seem almost alive. It had to be filled with mana, but Kurogane had never seen such a large source of it before. “You find this relaxing? It kind of looks like we just wandered into Hell.” 

 

Fai looked back over a shoulder, grinning shrewdly. “I thought this would be just your style Mr. Tall, Dark and Edgy.”

 

As they approached, Fai walked them down a rickety little pier that swayed and creaked under their feet. But he didn’t seem concerned, and Kurogane was in the mood to call bluffs at this point. At the end there was a figure. A young boy with feline ears swiveled forward and a tail swishing in contentment, curling around a wicker basket at his side as he sat with a fishing pole in hand and watched a bobber. 

 

“From… from the logo?” 

 

Fai smiled nodding. 

 

On the pier, the boy made a noise of delight, setting the hook and starting to reel in. He pulled the fish out of the water, a purple trout, and set it in the basket. Fai sat down, then dangled his feet over the edge, simulation just matching up with the edge of the stage. Kurogane carefully followed, taking Fai’s other side and leaning forward to study the surprisingly low quality avatar. 

 

“I had always assumed it was supposed to be you.” 

 

“Not quite,” he said, watching fondly.

 

“What does it mean?” 

 

“It’s my brother.” 

 

Kurogane looked at him in confusion. 

 

“Or, it was my brother. He doesn’t really…” Fai tucked his chin, idly watching the shadow of fish curl beneath their six feet. There was the soft sound of running water. “He doesn’t play anymore.” 

 

“Something happen to him?” Kurogane asked, bracing for the response. 

 

“Summer camp. Then college. Then work. Got married and they had a baby.” Fai set his hand between them, and Kurogane took it, thumb petting in an encouraging little movement for him to go on. “The whole point of starting this world was to keep in touch, and for a while it happened but… He set his avatar AFK like this one day and just… never managed to come back for him again.” 

 

“It’s normal isn’t?” He’d never had siblings, but most people seemed to get along just fine.

 

“I guess, but we used to be inseparable.” 

 

Kurogane found himself unsure what to say. But he kept holding Fai’s hand.

 

“What happens when the basket gets full?” 

 

Fai smiled softly, and Kurogane was happy to see some of the tension drain from his shoulders. “He started before I set a limit on inventories. Could be…” he trailed off, doing some math in his head. “I’m not sure. About a million in there maybe?” 

 

“Hope you like fish.” 

 

“Hate it actually.” Kurogane barked a laugh and Fai covered his smile behind a hand. “Like, even if I hadn’t before, which I didn’t, I kind of resent them now just on principle.” 

 

“Seems fair,” Kurogane commented. Then they lapsed into a comfortable silence, watching a few more fish go into the basket. Then, after a while of working up to say it, “I started playing when my parents died.” 

 

“I know.” 

 

Before them, Fai’s brother cast out his line again, foot swinging in a relaxed little fidget. 

 

“It was nice. To be somewhere else. I don’t think I’ve ever really thanked you for that.” 

 

Fai squeezed his hand. “I’m glad if I could help.”

 

“You did. In a lot of ways.” They shared another moment of silence, then, in new tone, “Hey Fai?” 

 

“Yeah, Kurgs?” 

 

“Is that… is that rock breathing?” 

 

Kurogane looked over at him, but Fai just smiled, almost mischievous. “Yes. Yes it is.” 

 

Kurgoane pursed his lips, and nodded. “So… what the fuck?”

 

Fai did nothing to explain, but lead Kurogane past the pond, between the rocks, then well past them, he turned them around, and the shapes fell into place.

 

“The thunderbirds!”

 

“Yes!” Fai smiled, then frowned. “What? No. No, they’re supposed to be phoneixes.”

 

Kurogane tipped his head to the side. “Oh! Oh okay, yeah. I see it.” He finally dropped their held hands to approach one of the beasts. It’s slumbering head was easily as tall as his entire body. “I haven’t seen one of these in… I mean not since the twins had-”

 

He looked at Fai again, who watched the gears turning with an encouraging little smile.

 

“Oh!” He looked back between Fai and the birds. “So you two… So you two literally just… put the monsters underground.”

 

“It was his last Summer before college. The balance of the game just wasn’t working, so he proposed this new gameplan. We stopped playing as the monsters and decided to try it as people instead. And it worked! It was amazing for a while but… well, he got busy.”

 

“I remeber these things,”Kurogane said, reaching out as if to touch one, then thinking better if it. “Thunderbirds were tough as hell.”

 

“Phoenix,” Fai corrected again. “Did it really not read like that? They were on fire and everything.”

 

“I don’t know,” Kurogane said, “I was super into that mythology at the time. And I was fifteen. So lay off.”

 

“That one there is his, but you can touch this one if you like,” Fai said, gesturing to the other. “I’ve still got the controls and everything if…”

 

Kurogane startled, taking a step back as the bird’s eye shot open, pupil pulling tight, then locking on him. He’d never been this close to one before, and even knowing Fai had control, he couldn’t help but feel a reflexive panic at the remembered fear he’d had for the fire monsters.

 

“Don’t worry,” Fai said. “I’ve got him.” When Kurogane glanced over Fai had a holographic keyboard projected under this hands. It made sense. The game hadn’t had any sort of tracking functionality back then, so of course he had to control it like this, but it was such an odd break of the fourth wall that Kurogane had to laugh.

 

“What?” he smiled innocently, eager to be in on the joke.

 

“Nothing. You just look like such a nerd right now.”

 

Suddenly the bird lunged, making Kurogane yelp, then immediately glare at Fai again.

 

Who just gave him a shit eating grin. “Sorry. My finger slipped.”

 

Kurogane growled at him softly, but approached the bird once more. “Hey is that, Ginryuu!?” He only saw it clutched in red-glowing talons for a moment before it was snatched under the bird’s body again, covered in ashy feathers. “You’re going to melt it!”

 

“Relax,” Fai told him, controlling the bird back down to sleep. “Nothing takes damage in the sanctum. This was the safest place I could think of.”

 

“The safest place for it is in my hand.”

 

Fai just rolled his eyes, murmuring a tired, “Jocks,” under his breath. “Clearly here is safer. Sometimes you use it to hit things. That can’t be good for it.”

 

Kurogane gave him a critical look. “It’s better to have things serve their full potential than let them gather dust in some cave just because you’re worried about them. If Ginryuu falls in the line of duty, then that is its destiny.”

 

“Destiny?” Fai scoffed, a touch incredulous. “I literally set every variable in this game. The sword does what I want it to do.”

 

“Then maybe you shouldn’t try to control it so much.”

 

Fai flinched as if hurt, ears flicking forward in anger despite the smile on his face. The keyboard dissolved away as his arms crossed in front of his chest. “So I should just let Ginryuu live his fucking life you mean? Well if you haven’t noticed, I _am_. Sorry if I still have feelings about it anyway.”

 

“I’m not… Fai i’m not talking about your brother. I’m just talking about the sword!”

 

Fai rounded on him, finally breaking as he snarled. “I’m talking about _you_.”

 

For a moment Kurogane couldn’t get a single word out, this twist somehow unexpected. Then he swallowed, his jaw setting and voice louder than he was hoping it would be. “ _Are_ you, Fai? Because it seems to me like we keep not talking about me. If you have something to say maybe you should say it.”

 

“I couldn’t keep you!” Fai yelled, matching his volume, then flinching as it bounced back from the empty seats with an echo. He went on, much qieter, and looking so small as his tail curved close to his leg. “I tried my best, and it worked for a long time but clearly… clearly this just isn’t meant to last forever.”

 

Kurogane took a step forward, then winced as Fai instinctually took one back. He tried again, slowly this time, hand extended like an olive branch.

 

Fai sniffed, looking at it for a moment, then bypassed it all together and pressing himself to Kurogane’s chest, face tucking into his shoulder.

 

“You know, you haven’t tried the simplest meathod of getting me to stick around.”

 

“Locking you up?” Fai guessed sarcastically, voice muffled against his shoulder.

 

Kurogane pushed him back a touch so he could lift Fai’s chin in a gentle hand. Fai winced up at him. “You could ask me to stay.”

 

Fai’s breath caught, shook, and then Kurogane watched his expression break as he began to cry, tears sparkling where they disrupted the light projected on his cheek.

 

“That- That isn’t really the reaction I was expecting,” Kurogane said, as he gathered Fai to his chest again. “Thought you’d be relieved.”

 

Fai just shook his head, refusing to speak as his shoulders trembled.

 

“What is it?” Kurogane murmured against the crown of his head, gently at first, then more stern. “Something is wrong, Kitten. What are you not telling me?”

 

“I want to quit!” Fai said all at once, words almost tripping over each other to get out. “I…” He covered his mouth behind a hand, eyes wide almost as if in shock. “I want to quit so bad.” He looked up with trepidation, waiting to see how Kurogane would take it.

 

Which was… he couldn’t mask it. The implications spiraled moment by moment as he thought about the fall out.

 

So many people played. So many people- His friends- depended on the game for their livelihoods. He did his best to keep a neutral expression, but judging by the anxiety in Fai’s look, he probably hadn’t been able to keep it all in.

 

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus. “Keep going,” he told Fai in the most soothing tone he could muster as he pet a hand across his hair. “Talk to me.”

 

“I did it before, you know,” he sniffed, wiping his cheek and starting to calm down again. “I thought, if I could make the game fun enough, the visuals pretty enough, he might still make time for me. I thought if I could just keep you interested… But that doesn’t last forever. And pretending it does just drives you crazy if you try.”

 

“Fai, you don’t have to try and trick me into liking you.”

 

“Didn’t I though? At least at first?” Kurogane frowned, but Fai kept going. “But it’s just… The game is so much work when you run it alone. And you were the only thing keeping it worth while. When you started to pull away, it was almost relief. Losing you would hurt, but at least I’d know I tried my hardest. I could let it go without a guilty conscious.”

 

“Fai…” Kurogane sighed, pulling him in for a hug again, kissing his hair chastely. “Just because you quit the game doesn’t mean you can’t ever speak to me again. I… I basically had this same talk with myself when I realized I couldn’t keep things up much longer.”

 

“You say that now. But what if I’m boring? What if you can’t stand the real me?”

 

“Are you boring?” Kurogane asked with a teasing grin.

 

“I don’t know! I’ve been doing this basically twenty four seven since highschool. I could be awful!”

 

“Well, we can find out together. I’m probably just as bad.”

 

“What about your friends?” Fai asked. “They don’t deserve to loose their jobs just because I got tired.”

 

Kurogane frowned, thinking things over. “Does the game do okay? Financially?”

 

Fai shrugged.

 

“Enough to support some salaries?”

 

Fai’s brow creased. “A few. What are you trying to say?”

 

“I’m just thinking Kakei would much rather have a steady salary messing with the game’s economy than betting rent on his ability to keep it steady each month.”

 

“I can’t…”

 

“And no one gets how the individual game elements depend on each other like Watanuki. You’ve basically been training potential replacements this whole time.”

 

“Don’t you think with so many cooks…?”

 

“Teamwork is the only thing that makes any of this work. You said it yourself, Fai. It’s just too much for one person to try and handle.”

 

Fai made a face. “I handled it extremely well, thank you very much.”

 

Kurogane groaned, pushing him away gently and letting him stand on his own two feet again. “Too much to handle for forever then.”

 

Fai nodded, looking relieved, exhausted but at peace in a way Kurogane hadn’t seen in a while. “There are things I’ll miss though,” he said wandering a few steps to gaze at his sleeping phoenix again.

 

“Then don’t go cold turkey, idiot. Give the tedious shit to someone else, and just drop in when you feel like it.”

 

“That doesn’t seem fair.”

 

“It’s a game, Fai. It’s supposed to be fun.”

 

Fai sighed in something like acceptance, then was helpless as it pulled into a yawn.

 

“We should get you to bed,” Kurogane said gently. “This has been a lot and you have a big day tomorrow.”

 

“And you don’t?” Fai asked distracted as he took in the cavern one last time, projected to be seen without headsets and lenses. As close to real as it would ever get.

 

“We have a big day.” Kurogane amended, taking his hand to lead him back to the console to shut everything down.

 

Fai was careful to turn the lights down manually, avoiding a harsh transition back to an empty theatre. Still, it felt so empty without them. But Kurogane placed a hand on his back, and he felt a little better.

 

“It will be fun to actually battle you.” Fai said, beginning to lead them back. “If you think you can handle it.”

 

“Excuse you?”

 

“I’ve been going easy on you. But I won’t tomorrow. I want to play you for real.”

 

Kurogane laughed, too cocky to take the warning seriously. “Yeah, just try to keep up.”

 

* * *

 

 

Kurogane’s final battle was everything he could have hoped it would be.

 

The team performed perfectly, a mix of careful strategizing and brilliant improvision when things went wrong. The crowd cheered every little conflict, then completely lost it when BigKitty himself showed up for a cameo, fighting against Kurogane’s sword with nothing but a staff and almost unbelievable dexterity. The fight went back and forth a few times, both landing only a few blows, but those that they did manage hit hard. In the end BigKitty fled, and BigDog’s pursuit brought him to a well hidden chamber, inside of which was Ginryuu impaled in a hunk of obsidian. BigKitty had vanished, nowhere to be seen.

 

Kurogane cursed at the treatment of it, even as the crowd cheered at its return. He gripped it, and wrenched it free, but immediately a red light shot up from the gap it left behind.

 

The images began to shake, something like an earthquake, and the fortress began to crumble around them. Kurogane held his sword at the ready, expecting almost anything, then shocked to see a monster, molten, furious, and face shaped exactly like a giant Ginryuu emerge from the ground, shaking the ruins off its shoulders and coiling before pouncing on a BigDog too stunned to move until the last moment. Kurogane fought with everything he had, but it was hardly any time before the dragon overpowered him, swallowing him whole.

 

The projection of the monster passed over him, but his lights did not return. He was a shadow on the stage. This was a monster of old, and if one killed you, you did not respawn.

 

There was a brief reprieve as the dragon circled above, Kurogane, his teammates, and the audience all staring in silent shock.

 

Then Kurogane walked forward, the shadow disappearing only for a moment, breaking the immersion of the game just long enough for BigDog to bow to his audience and salute with Ginryuu. Then his light went dark again, and he exited the stage, leaving his teammates to finish the battle without him.

  


* * *

 

 

Some said BigDog didn’t really die. There were always rumors of sightings and fan theories.

 

But the game changed after that day. The stakes grew higher for those chasing the molten dragon and phoenix that would appear and disappear without warning in the deepest forests.

 

New heroes took their places and soon LittleDog and LittleKitty became members of the Seven Stars in the own right, people often forgetting the names were references at all.

 

Kakei and Watanuki both closed shop on the same day, sending cities and supply chains into chaos, making the new challenges even harder as baffling complications kept any one replacement from holding power for long. 

 

All to say people missed BigDog, but they didn’t mourn him for long. The only place that seemed to escape the upheaval untouched was the Cat’s Eye Cafe, the friendly owner always ready with a cup of hot coffee and nostalgia for those that wanted to take a breath in this exciting new world.

 

* * *

 

 

Kurogane woke, lights off and blanket warm, wondering why. As his groggy consciousness returned, there was a dip in the mattress and a light and repetitive tapping.

 

He rolled over, catching Fai staring at his wrist in concentration, other hand shifting elements across the tiny kitchen displayed on the screen. Kurogane laughed under his breath, reaching for Fai’s waist and pulling him close, earning him a little yelp.

 

“Come on, Kitten. Time for bed.”

 

“Just one more level. I- Mmm!” Fai laughed as Kurogane started sucking on the base of his neck, a transparent ploy at distraction. “Okay, I..” There was a little trumpet of victory music from his wrist and he finally shut the screen down. “Okay! There. It’s off. Happy?”

 

Kurogane grinned as he rolled on top of a laughing Fai, teasing his nose before melting into a kiss.

 

"Very.”

  
  


 

 

 

  



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